21-Sep-2006 -- Encouraged by our success visiting 35N106W, this confluence was further east on Interstate 40. Exit 256 north leads to US-84 which used to be a part of the old Route 66 highway. This location is marked as "Vegas Junction" on the map, but there is absolutely nothing there except for an interchange.

US-84 at this point is a straight two-lane highway (one lane in each direction) with very wide shoulders on both sides which made parking a snap. Our strategy was to drive north up to the 35 latitude and then just walk directly west to the confluence. There was barbed wire fencing on both sides of the highway, with four layers of wire, but we made it through OK without a scratch, having practised at 35N110W a few months ago.

The terrain differed slightly from the western confluence 35N106W in that the grass was slightly thicker and taller, but much greener. There were also certain white, yellow and purple flowers that were in bloom, in addition to cacti growing. This was presumably due to the significantly above average rainfall New Mexico has received this year. We made sure not to trample over budding cacti and there was ample dirt to step onto. The weather outside was also considerably windier.

The path to the confluence was completely flat and the parking spot on the highway was visible at all times. The only man-made feature between the highway and the confluence was power lines going north-south into the horizon. The confluence point itself was a pretty non-descript area of grass, with a large patch of cacti to the north.

The main difficulty during this confluence was getting through the barbed wire fence and making sure not to step on fragile plants.